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[0:00] Hey, thank you so much for tuning in today. My name is Ray Sweet from First Christian Church in Greensburg, Indiana.! And as always, if you'd like to learn more about us, you can go to FCCGreensburg.com or check out the FCC Greensburg Facebook page.

[0:16] But hey, we are excited today to get into God's Word. But most of all, let this Word get into us and change us. Now, we're going to kick off the sermon in a little different way today.

[0:28] There's a guy named Rod who's a friend of our church, and he is going to share just an awesome biblical skit where he shares all about Jesus throughout the Scriptures.

[0:39] John 1 and 1, In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. In Genesis, He's the bread of life. Exodus, He's the Passover lamb.

[0:50] Leviticus, He's our high priest. Numbers, He's the fire of the night. Deuteronomy, He's Moses' voice. Joshua, He's a salvation choice. Judges, He's a lawgiver.

[1:01] Ruth, He's a kingdom redeemer. 1 Samuel, He's our trusted prophet. Kings and Chronicles, He's sovereign. Ezra, He's a true and faithful scribe. Nehemiah, He's a rebuilder of broken walls and lives.

[1:15] Esther, He's Mordecai's courage. Job, He's a timeless redeemer. Psalms, He's a morning song. Proverbs, He's wisdom and cry. Ecclesiastes, He's a time and He's a season.

[1:27] In the Song of Solomon, He is the lover's dream. Isaiah, He's a prince of peace. Jeremiah, He's a weeping prophet. Lamentations, He's a cry for Israel.

[1:37] Ezekiel, He's a call for sin. Daniel, He's a stranger in the fire. Hosea, He is forever faithful. Joel, He's a spirit's power. Amos, He's the arms that curious.

[1:49] Obadiah, He's the Lord, our Savior. In Jonah, He's a great missionary. Micah, He's a promise of peace. Naaman, He is our strength. And our shield. Habakkuk and Zephaniah, He pleads for revival.

[2:02] Haggai, He's a restore of lost heritage. Zephaniah, He is our fountain. And Malachi, He's a son of righteousness, rising and healing in His wings. He is.

[2:13] He is. He is. Matthew, He's the king of the Jews. Mark, He's Jesus Christ, the servant. In Luke, He's a son of man, feeling what you feel.

[2:24] In John, He's a son of God, who takes away the sins of the world. In Acts, He's a fire from heaven. In Romans, He's the grace of God. In Corinthians, He's the power of love.

[2:36] Galatians, He's freedom for the curse of sin. Ephesians, He's our glorious treasure. Philippians, He's a servant's heart. Colossians, He's Godhead Trinity. Thessalonians, He is our coming king.

[2:48] Timothy, Titus, and Philemon, He's our mediator and our faithful pastor. Hebrews, He's everlasting covenant. James, He's the one who heals the sick. For sick of Peter, He is our shepherd.

[3:01] John, and in Jude, He's a lover coming for His bride. In the book of Revelations, He is the king of kings and the lord of lords. He is the prince of peace, the son of man, the lamb of God, the great I am.

[3:15] He's at the beginning. He'll be at the end. He's the first and He's the last. He's the keeper of creation. He created all. He's the architect of the universe. He's the manager of all times.

[3:27] He always was, always is, and always will be. Unchangeable, undefeated, never undone. For He is bruised to bring us healing. He is pierced to ease our pain.

[3:37] He's persecuted to bring us freedom. He's dead to bring us life. He's wisdom to bring us power. He reigns to bring us peace. The world can't understand Him. Armies can't defeat Him.

[3:49] Satan couldn't silence Him. And new age can't replace Him. He's life. He's love. He's longevity. He's goodness. He's kindness. He's gentle.

[3:59] He's merciful. He's my God and He's my Savior. In Him do I put my trust. God's Word, it generates life. It creates faith. It produces change. It frightens the devil. It causes miracles.

[4:14] It heals hurts. It builds character. It transforms circumstances. It imparts joy. It overcomes adversaries. It defeats temptation. Infuses hope. Releases power. Brings things into being and guarantees us a life forever. That's God's Word.

[4:36] Now that's a cool way to start a message. So thank you so much, Rod. We really truly appreciate your heart for the Lord. And what a fantastic reminder of just our God's sovereignty and power that is weaving the Messiah throughout His God-inspired Word, showing it's all about Jesus.

[4:56] And here we are in the ninth and final week of our series called Living the Dream. And I have to let you in on my little sermon planning dilemma. The way we laid out this series, I have five chapters of Genesis to cover today at the end of Joseph's life. But I felt like the Holy Spirit sort of redirected me to talk about how Jesus fits into the larger story of Joseph. So I'm going to quickly talk through the story and then we're going to spend the bulk of our time on these parallels between Joseph and Jesus that Rodney has set up so well, giving us the even bigger picture of all 66 God-inspired books of Scripture. So for those visiting with us today, let me just paint this whole picture for you.

[5:44] Joseph was originally the baby of the family, born to Jacob. And because he was the youngest and probably Rachel's kid too, Joseph was daddy's favorite. Strutting around in that technicolor dream coat, telling of God-given dreams where he will rule over his brothers. They're bowing before him. Joseph kind of stirred up a hornet's nest and his brothers decide to get revenge. They rough up this 17-year-old kid, stripped him of his robe, threw him in a cistern, pulled him out, and then sold him into slavery. And yet the word tells us that God was with him, blessing him each step of the way.

[6:25] And pretty quickly, this young man, seeking the heart of God, rises through the ranks, eventually being put in charge of Potiphar's household. Things start to run better than ever until Potiphar's wife lies about Joseph. This unfairly sends him to a prison for those who've offended high-ranking officials like Potiphar. And once again, God's hand is upon him and he's elevated to volunteer prison warden where things are running fantastic. And then one day, two of Pharaoh's officials, his workers, tick him off. He sends him into prison until he decides what to do. And guess who's put in charge of him? Our boy Joseph. And one night, they both have confusing dreams. And Joseph, by God's power alone, he interprets them. Baker, this won't end well for you. Cupbearer, you'll be restored to your position.

[7:19] And all Joseph asked for in return was that the cupbearer remember him and mention him to Pharaoh. And do you think he did it? Uh-uh. There Joseph sat in a dungeon for two more years until Pharaoh has his own bad dreams. None of the wise men can interpret them to his satisfaction. And that's when the cupbearer says, hey, I know a guy. And Joseph is cleaned up, brought before one of the most powerful men in the world. And God uses him again to interpret dreams. He even gives them the plan of, okay, this is how we can save Egypt from the impending famine on the land. Pharaoh is so impressed that he puts Joseph in charge, makes him the number two man over the entire nation, from rags to riches, from prison to power, from loneliness to loving his wife and two kids. Now Joseph gets to work and he is preparing for the famine. And when it hits, they have grain. And Egypt under Joseph grows even more powerful. And then his brothers show up for food. And when he finally reveals himself to them, he's not worried about getting revenge, but instead he shows them, listen, God has put me right where he needed me to be to save lives and even preserve my family. We see Joseph reunited with his dad, bringing the whole family to Egypt, living in luxury as Pharaoh blessed them all. And we even read about how the famine got so bad there at the end, but God's hand was upon them in a big way. And they enjoy 17 years together as a family with their dad, Jacob. And after Jacob speaks over his sons, tells them to bury him back in Canaan with his ancestors, he breathes his last breath. And I love Joseph's response to his brothers. When they start to wonder again, man, is Joseph going to come after us now that our father has died? He says, hey, I'm not going to get revenge. Here's what he says, actually, in Genesis 50 verse 20. He says, you intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

[9:46] And then we read in chapter 50 also that Joseph lives another 56 years as his, after his father dies, breathing his last breath at the ripe age of 110. He's even got to enjoy his great, great grandchildren.

[10:02] What a great blessing that was for him. And what a great series that this has been as we've witnessed how our God is always moving in ways that we can't see to bring about his perfect plans. When our hearts fully belong to him, he is moving for our good and even for his glory. And listen, if there's one big theme here, it's this, we can trust that God's got this under control. We don't need to stress ourselves sick. You don't need to control freak your way through. When our hearts belong to him, he will guide the way. It may not look the way we drew it up. It may come with a series of detours and unexpected twists and turns. In fact, I can guarantee it. It comes with life kind of being hard.

[10:48] As Jesus said these words in John 16, verse 33, he says, I have told you these things so that in me, you may have peace in this world. You will have trouble, but take heart because I have overcome the world, but it all leads to the center of God's will, walking by his grace, living out his plans. And there is no better place to be than in the center of God's will over your life. So now that you have kind of the entire story before you, let's connect the dots of how the story of Joseph and ultimately every word of scripture is all about Jesus. And if I can turn into professor mode here for the rest of this message, we're going to talk about how Joseph is often seen in Christian theology as something called a type of Christ. That means that his life and his experiences foreshadow aspect of Jesus's life and ministry. And there are quite a few amazing parallels that point us beyond Joseph to our Messiah, our redeemer, our savior, our hope, his name is Jesus.

[12:04] So here's the first type of Christ, faithfulness in temptation. Do you remember earlier in this series talking about Joseph's time at Potiphar's house that started when he was just 17? This man was high ranking. He was Pharaoh's captain of the guard. And when Joseph was sold into slavery, this is the guy who bought him. He quickly moved up the ranks until Potiphar, seeing God's blessings all over Joseph, he puts him in charge of everything he owns. And while Joseph served him faithfully, Potiphar's spoiled wife decides that she likes Joseph too in a different way. She likes how he looks and she begins to flirt. That flirtation gets so much more forward. And finally she corners him and he has a tough decision to make. And instead of feeling sorry for himself, instead of having a chip on his shoulder because of all he's been through, instead of just letting his flesh respond, which is so easy to do as we all know, Joseph humbly and literally just flees that sexual temptation. He gets himself out of there. And here's what he said to her in Genesis chapter 39. And we're going to start here in verse 9. So let me flip here to Genesis 39 verse 9 puts it like this.

[13:30] No one is greater in this house than I am. So this is Joseph talking to Potiphar's wife. My master has withheld nothing from me except you because you are his wife. It's like he's trying to remind her of this. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God? And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her and even be with her. Okay. So not only does he resist temptation, but he also does everything in his power to stay out of the arena, not even putting himself in a place where there's even a hint of sexual immorality. Okay. And honestly, his example mirrors Christ's resistance to temptation in a lot of ways. See, in Matthew chapter 4 verses 1 through 11, we read the famous passage about how Jesus at the start of his earthly ministry, he was led into the desert or the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. After he fasted for 40 days and 40 nights, three times Satan tests him with turning a rock into food or putting God to the test by jumping from the highest point of the temple or even tempting him with power. And all three times, Jesus stays strong. Standing on the word of God causing Satan to flee and defeat. And while no one is saying that Joseph is on the same level as our

[14:57] Savior, we do see that same kind of parallel of how both were able to stand strong against temptation. Joseph with Potiphar's wife and then Jesus standing against an even greater temptation from Satan in a time of physical weakness after 40 days of fasting. Can you imagine that? And if there's a lesson to be learned here, it's simply this.

[15:20] There is victory over temptation. And I would add this, in Christ. And if I can use an example from God's creation, one of the largest freshwater turtles is called an alligator snapping turtle. Found mostly in the southeastern part of our country, these turtles can get up to 250 pounds. Mostly they eat fish, but they've been known in a few rare cases to eat a small alligator. But they have a unique way of foraging for fish. The turtle will lie completely still on the floor of the lake or the river. And as you can see, at the end of their tongue is a small appendage. The turtle wiggles the end of its tongue and it kind of looks like a worm moving through the water. And when the fish comes to get the worm, it quickly closes its jaws, devouring its prey. And you know what? Temptation sort of works the same way, doesn't it? It always looks like something shiny and desirable, promising to fill you up to overflowing, but instead it brings destruction.

[16:30] But I love the Holy Spirit inspired words from the Apostle Paul that he wrote here in 1 Corinthians 10 verse 13. He says these words, No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. So what he's saying there is, listen, we all go through the same kind of stuff, okay? We all struggle with temptation. You are not alone. We're all in the same boat. And then he says this in verse 13. He says, And God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. Or even as James puts it in James 4, 7, submit yourselves then to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you. See, church, there is victory in Jesus. And I love the 2005 quote from John Corson. He said,

[17:37] It is always good to keep the Lord between you and Satan. Man, that's the secret, right? Jesus first. Make him the treasure you seek. Make him the living water you drink. Make him the bread of life you eat.

[17:51] Make sure you are the branch and he is the vine that daily gives you life. And when we're walking in his strength by the power of the Holy Spirit, you and I will be able to resist the enemy's attacks, pursuing holiness in Christ. Now, let me show you the second type of Christ here. And that is suffering despite innocence. As we look at Joseph's life, I can't imagine how defeated he could have felt by his circumstances beyond his control. Being sold into slavery because his older brother's jealousy. He didn't have any control over his father's favoritism just as a 17-year-old kid, okay? And then doing all the right things to bless his master when he was a slave to Potiphar.

[18:36] And what happens? His wife lies about him even though he shows integrity and he's thrown into prison that I bet you was a pretty rough place to be. Joseph suffered things I can't begin to understand despite his innocence. And this points us to what Jesus did for us, leaving the perfection of heaven to come to this dreary world. He lived a sinless life following the Father perfectly, teaching us all about the kingdom of God, modeling how to love our enemies, living out his purpose to seek and save the lost, showing us how to root for the underdog, calling them to greatness in God's eyes. He healed the sick.

[19:15] He caused the blind to see, cleansed the lepers, ate with sinners, called the outcasts to be his disciples, and stood up to the religious bullies. All because he didn't fit the religious agenda of his day. He was ostracized. He was lied about, conspired against, unfairly arrested, spit upon, beaten, forced to carry his cross, and then nailed to that cross, suffering, giving his innocent life for our guilty ones. And while he was mocked, what did he do? He forgave a thief next to him, promising eternal life. He even asked the Father to forgive those who crucified him. Then he breathed his last breath.

[19:58] And if there was ever someone who was mistreated and persecuted, who was 100% innocent, it's not us. It was the sinless lamb of God, suffering and dying with the sin of the world upon his shoulders, loving you and me, even though our sins sent him to the cross. And there's no question, Joseph's life and suffering foreshadow, or they point to the cross, even from the book of Genesis. So as I think about Jesus' suffering, despite his innocence and the reality that he did it all for us, this is the lesson that God brought to my mind. Be grateful for his suffering. Church, there are times both on Sunday morning, especially at communion time, when I try to picture what Jesus did for me, and even through the week, where I just stop and all, and I thank Jesus for his love that covers me when I'm so undeserving. And oftentimes it's when I mess up and grace is right there to meet me. And as Psalm 107 verses 8 and 9 says, let them praise the Lord for his great love and the wonderful things he has done for them. For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things. And let's finish that with one more type of

[21:20] Christ here, okay? Agents of salvation. Agents of salvation. Doesn't that kind of sound like a superhero movie? And yet Marvel and DC have created zero superheroes that give Jesus a run for his money.

[21:36] And when we think of Joseph as an agent of salvation, we have to think strictly from an earthly perspective where God gave him the ability to interpret dreams, seeing into the future, knowing the hardship, the famine that was coming. And because he knew that, he was able to give a plan that would save millions of people from starvation. So we're talking about saving people from physical death. God used him to spare so many lives.

[22:04] And Joseph's words to his brothers ring true in Genesis 45, 7. It says this, But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

[22:24] And while Joseph is a great example of faithfulness to God's call on his life, God used him in big ways to save all those people, including his own family. And that points us to an even greater salvation that Jesus offers that's better than anything physical on this earth. Jesus came to save our souls from eternal death that sin demands. And I'd be making a big mistake if I didn't talk about the event that validated his crucifixion and his claim to be the son of God. Because there were a lot of people who died on a cross in history who can't save me from my sins. There were even some people who claimed to be the Messiah who disappeared when times got tough with history, honestly remembering them no more.

[23:10] But what separates Jesus from every other one is what happened next. From that Friday afternoon when he died until Sunday morning, the body lay lifeless. Death looked like it had won. Satan was probably strutting around more than Joseph in that fancy robe. And then the impossible became reality because he is God. The tomb could hold him no longer. Death is strong, but life is stronger as Jesus rose from the grave, conquering death, offering life to all of us who are willing to pick up our cross and follow him. This is the story of salvation from a God who loved us too much to give up on us.

[23:57] And I love these verses that we should read all year long and not just at Easter time. 1 Corinthians 15. Let me start here in verse 55. It says this, Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin. The power of sin is in the law.

[24:22] But thanks be to God that he gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. So here's lesson number three for us. Give Jesus all of you. And if that's for the first time where you repent of your sins, surrender your life to him through baptism, what a blessing that is. Let us come alongside you talking through that commitment and get you baptized really soon as you begin that journey of walking in the joy of your salvation. But most of the people I preach to have surrendered their life to Christ walking in his amazing grace. And this is where we have to ask ourselves, what in my life am I not surrendering to the Lord? What am I holding back? Am I just going through the motions? Or is my identity and life truly found in my daily walk with Jesus? Because when we stand before him, he won't ask for my perfect church attendance button. He won't ask for what church denomination I belong to or even the traditions that we did every year at church. He simply wants all of us as we love him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. And he wants to grow us as he did Joseph through all the ups and downs of life so that we can be used for his purposes. So we can love our neighbor, showing them that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and that no one comes to the

[25:52] Father except through him. So as we close out this series, it's been a great nine weeks. It's really this simple. The story of Joseph points us to our Savior because it's all about Jesus. And I'm so glad it is because he's the author and finisher of my faith. He's my salvation. He's my everything. And without him, I surely fail. And so as we end today, I'm going to say a phrase and then I'm going to have you repeat it back to me the second time. Okay? It's all about Jesus. Are you ready to say it with me? It's all about Jesus. And you know what? I'm so thankful that it is. Pray with me.

[26:40] Father, thank you so much for your word of life that has just breathed hope into us today. Thank you so much for just this story of Joseph and how his life pointed to an even greater person in Jesus Christ. Thank you for showing us this. And I just pray, Lord, that every part of our lives will be surrendered to you, that we will be a follower of Jesus running after your heart the way you call us to. So take our hearts, take our minds and make us more like Jesus. We pray. We pray in his precious name. Amen. And amen. This morning, I want to give you this quick invitation. If you are watching this and you want to know more about the faith, if you want to ask faith questions, if you want to know more about walking with Jesus, or if you're ready to talk about surrendering your heart to him, we would love to come alongside you. My name is Ray. I'm the lead pastor here at FCC. And here's what we ask that you do. You can do a couple of things. Call the church office 812-663-8488, or you can email me at ray at FCCgreensburg.com. Hey, thanks for joining today. We're so excited to always preach

[28:06]  God's word and we pray that it's blessed you. Have a fantastic week.